Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Norman, OK

May 14, 1986Jackson County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at May 14, 1986, 2:54 PM CDT for Jackson County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 14, 1986, 2:54 PM CDT (19:54 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 1986, 3:30 PM CDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Jackson County, OK

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 14, 3:29 PM CDTTornado F1Jackson, OK

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Sill, OK (KFSI), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 93 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Fort Sill, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2103 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Fort Sill, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 176 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2103 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-131 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
657 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
176 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAAOO KOKC 141957
TOROKC
OKC065-142030-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUSTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
254 PM CDT WED MAY 14 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY:

IN SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA:

          ..JACKSON.

AT 254 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF OLUSTEE
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES PER HOUR. PERSONS IN AXLTUS
ARE NEAR THE PROJECTED PATH OF THIS STORM AND SHOULD TAKE COVER.
BASEBALL-SIZED HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 14, 8:56 AM CDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
KOKC 131716

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
855 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 1986

TIME       COUNTY              EVENT

318-325AM  CANADIAN-KINFISHER  DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL AT OKARCHE AND
                               JUST WEST OF OKARCHE(ON COUNTY LINE)
315AM      KINGFISHER          QUARTER SIZE HAIL JUST NORTHWEST OF
                               OKARCHE
Local storm report, May 14, 10:12 AM CDT, 4 hours 42 minutes before
KOKC 131716

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1008 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 1986

TIME       COUNTY              EVENT

0500 AM     KINGFISHER         QUARTER SIZE HAIL 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
                               CASHION
1005 AM     BECKHAM            DIME TO PENNY SIZE HAIL AT AND JUST
                               SOUTH OF CARTER
Special weather statement, May 14, 10:32 AM CDT, 4 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1035 AM CDT WED MAY 14 1986

SEVERE WEATHER AGAIN THREATENS THE SOONER STATE TODAY. STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ALREADY IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA HIS MORNING,
AND CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER
OVER MUCH OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A COLD FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH MOST OF THE STATE YESTERDAY STALLED
OVERNIGHT, AND HAS BEGUN TO MOVE BACK NORTHWARD THROUGH THE STATE THIS
MORNING. VERY UNSTABLE AIR LIES SOUTH OF THE FRONT AND WILL OVERSPREAD
MUCH OF THE STATE BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL COMBINE WITH A
FAIRLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TO LIFT THE UNSTABLE AIR,
RESULTING IN THUNDERSTORMS OVERSPREADING THE STATE THROUGH TONIGHT.
SINCE THE AIR IS VERY UNSTABLE AND A LIFTING MECHANISM IS PRESENT,
THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER OVER MOST OF THE STATE. CURRENT
CONDITIONS SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY OF A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER
OUTBREAK.

ALL INTERESTS IN OKLAHOMA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR LOCAL WEATHER
DEVELOPMENTS, REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES, AND LISTEN FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.

DETAILS OF THE DEVELOPING SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION WILL BE INCLUDED
IN THE OKLAHOMA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK TO BE ISSUED AT 300 PM. ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON IN ORDER TO
KEEP YOU ADVISED.
Special weather statement, May 14, 12:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
1155 AM CDT WED 14 MAY 1986

 ...SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

AT 1145AM CDT RADAR INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IN
WEST AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE IN TEXAS
FROM GUTHRIE TO NEAR SEYMOUR NORTHWARD INTO THE EASTERN TEXAS PAHHANDLE.
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH IN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH IN
TEXAS.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION OVER NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. WITH AFTERNOON
HEATING IN THE LOWER LEVELS AND THE DRY LINE MOVING EASTWARD OUT OF WEST
TEXAS WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY..POSSIBLY SEVERE..WILL DEVELOP
OVER NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. LARGE HAIL..DAMAGING WIND..
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES  WILL ACCOMPANY THE THUNDER-
STORMS. ALL POSSIBLE PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN NOW.
MONITER YOUR RADIO..TELEVISION..OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR WEATHER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 14, 12:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
1255 AM CDT WED 14 MAY 1986

 ...SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
THIS AFTERNOON AND TON
Special weather statement, May 14, 2:26 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
OKLAHOMA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
230 PM CDT WED MAY 14 1986

TORNADO WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON OVER ALL BUT THE
EXTREME SOUTHEAST PART OF OKLAHOMA. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER THE ENTIRE STATE EXCEPT
FOR THE WESTERN PANHANDLE FROM GUYMON WESTWARD.

A NEAR CLASSIC SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION IS UNFOLDING OVER OKLAHOMA,
WITH PARAMETERS COMING TOGETHER TO INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A COLD
FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH THE STATE YESTERDAY HAS MOVED BACK NORTHWARD
AND NOW LIES ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. WARM AND HUMID AIR LIES SOUTH
OF THE FRONT AT LOW LEVELS, WITH COOLER AND DRIER AIR ALOFT MOVING IN
ABOVE IT. THIS COMBINATION IS RESULTING IN VERY UNSTABLE AIR OVER MUCH
OF THE STATE. ALOFT, TWO DISTURBANCES ARE MOVING TOWARD THE STATE -
ONE OVER WEST TEXAS AND A SECOND OVER CENTRAL NEW MEXICO.

SEVERE WEATHER HAS DEVELOPED OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
OKLAHOMA WHERE LIFTING OF THE UNSTABLE AIR IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED BY THE
SURFACE FRONT. OTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING, AND ARE
LIKELY TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING, OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA IN RESPONSE TO
THE APPROACH OF THE FIRST UPPER SYSTEM. THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD
EASTWARD ACROSS THE REST OF THE STATE LATER TODAY AND WILL LIKELY
REMAIN STRONG INTO TONIGHT AS THE TWO UPPER SYSTEMS MOVE ACROSS.

THE WINDS ALOFT ARE CHARACTERIZED BY SOUTHERLY FLOW AT LOW LEVELS AND
STRONGER WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. THIS WIND PATTERN WILL SERVE TO
DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE FURTHER, AS THE LOW LEVEL WINDS FEED MORE
WARM MOIST AIR NORTHWARD WHILE THE UPPER WINDS DRAW MORE COOL AND DRY
AIR IN ALOFT. THE WIND PATTERN ALSO IS FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF TORNADOES.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION, AND ALL INTERESTS IN THE STATE
ARE URGED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR LOCAL WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND STAY
TUNED FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. REVIEW TORNADO AND SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM SAFETY RULES, AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. SPOTTER NETWORKS
SHOULD ALREADY BE ACTIVATED AT THIS TIME OVER M7OST OF WESTERN AND
NORTHERN OKLAHOMA. THOSE IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED
BY LATE AFTERNOON.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 11:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNComanche102 min
May 14, 12:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady84 min
May 14, 3:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Kingfisher40 min
May 14, 4:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKingfisher, Logan45 min
May 14, 9:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham, Washita40 min
May 14, 10:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis42 min
May 14, 10:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWashita59 min
May 14, 10:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis66 min
May 14, 11:01 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNCanadian29 min
May 14, 11:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey56 min
May 14, 11:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, Pottawatomie61 min
May 14, 11:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNOklahoma63 min
May 14, 11:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo, Washita57 min
May 14, 11:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWoodward60 min
May 14, 12:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln20 min
May 14, 12:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan62 min
May 14, 12:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWoods42 min
May 14, 12:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarfield, Grant46 min
May 14, 12:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey47 min
May 14, 12:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNAlfalfa46 min
May 14, 1:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian39 min
May 14, 1:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKiowa, Washita40 min
May 14, 1:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNComanche51 min
May 14, 1:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarmon59 min
May 14, 1:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian50 min
May 14, 2:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan, Oklahoma43 min
May 14, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo, Washita33 min
May 14, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady33 min
May 14, 2:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo26 min
May 14, 2:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGreer26 min
May 14, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham, Greer, Jackson58 min
May 14, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Logan, Oklahoma58 min
May 14, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady58 min
May 14, 2:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Oklahoma45 min
May 14, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo30 min
May 14, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma62 min
May 14, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo, Grady62 min
May 14, 3:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, McClain57 min
May 14, 3:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham, Washita45 min
May 14, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNJackson, Kiowa30 min
May 14, 4:13 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNGrady32 min
May 14, 4:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCuster, Washita50 min
May 14, 4:33 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNComanche42 min
May 14, 4:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, Grady, McClain53 min
May 14, 4:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNOklahoma53 min
May 14, 4:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNSeminole57 min
May 14, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNCaddo, Washita36 min
May 14, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNComanche36 min
May 14, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKiowa37 min
May 14, 5:25 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNComanche, Tillman35 min
May 14, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, Pottawatomie48 min
May 14, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNJackson, Kiowa37 min
May 14, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo, Grady58 min
May 14, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNComanche53 min
May 14, 6:07 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNComanche, Kiowa, Tillman38 min
May 14, 6:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, McClain44 min
May 14, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham, Greer, Harmon65 min
May 14, 6:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarvin, Grady, Stephens59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.